San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-10-19

Hooked at myself in the glass.
Less than a week had wrought this
ruin.
The ordinary drunkard refreshes him
self in the morning with tea Nothing
refreshed me, because | could taste moth
ing, and because my sufferings sprang
from different source, though they were
the same in kind. had to bear them as
best might.
remembered the command which Mr..
-Mr.-strange, / had forgotten his name
again-gave me, to walk twenty miles
after "heavy night" l started to obey
him.
Outside London, beyond Islington,
where there are now rows of houses, but
were then fields, | saw a little modest
cottage, standing alone in its garden. 1t
was cottage with four rooms only,
covered over with Creepers. On the board
standing at the gate was the announce
ment that it was to let A thought struck
me. Here could be seclusion, at any rate.
Here ! could shut myself up every night,
and await in comparative safety the
dreadful punishment - fast becoming
heavier than | could bear-which my tor
mentor inflicted upon me. Why should
not take the cottage, pay the rent in ad-
vance every mOnth-for how many months
should | have to pay it?-and so wait in
patience and resignation the approach of
my inevitable fate?
| made inquiries at once, and secured
the place at merely nominal rent. Then
l moved in little furniture, bought sec
ond hand in Islington High street, and
became the occupant, a lonely hermit, Of
the house There were no houses within
hearing, in case l should storm and rage
in my drunken madness at night. The
cottage stood removed from the road, and
no callers were likely to trouble me.
Within those walls | should be secure
from some dangers at least. Here, night
after night, | could await the attacks of
surfeit and intOXcatiOn which regularly
came; for my master knew no pity.
On the first evening | sat down at half
past to prepare for what was coming.
The day was drawing in, and a cold twi-
lght-the month was March-covered the
trees and shrubs in my little garden, as |
opened the door and looked out.
Before me stood the negro.
My spirit was quite broken, and could
only groan.
"DO you want me to go with you againYn
I asked, thinking of the last entertainment
at which l provided amusement for his
master.
"Massa say him berry glad you come
hyar. You walk the twenty mile ebbery
day, else maSsa know the reason why.
How you feel, Massa Lucraft? Heigh!
height cluck. Dat most fortunate day
for you when you sign dat little paper"
He delivered his message and disap-
peared in the darkness. / heard his foot
steps crunching the gravel in the road,
and lOnged, only now had no courage
or spirit left, to seize him and tear him
limb from limb.
Then l shut myself in, lit one candle
and sat over the fire | thought of the
scenes by which my extravagant fancy
had been excited; the garden full of lively
girls-what were girls TO me now? The
country walks was to have with Juliet
where was my passion for Juliet now?
The ease and happiness, the lightness and
innocence of the life before me, drawn by
an arch deceiver, compared with my pres
ent, my actual misery, sitting alone, cut
off from mankind, the slave and victim Of
secret profigate and glutton, doomed to
die slowly, unless it should please the
murderer to kill me off quickly.
And then, because the first symptoms
Of the attack were coming on, went to
bed and stayed there.
So began my new life. A wretched life
it was. There was no occupation possible
for memo amusement. / walked every
day, in fair weather or foul, a measured
twenty miles
This in some degree restored vitality to
my system. / never read; l took no in
terest in any politics l sat by myself
and brooded.
AS for meals, bought them ready pre-
pared. They consisted almost wholly of
bread and cold mutton. You may judge
of the absolutely tasteless condition to
which was reduced when l write calmly
and truthfully that cold boiled mutton was
as agreeable to me as any other form Of
food. l found, after repeated trials, that
mutton forms the best fuel-it is better
than either beef or portland keeps the
human engine at work for the longest
time. So had mutton. AS / discovered
also that bulk was necessary, and that
only a certain amount Of animal food was
wanted, I used to have cold potatoes
always ready. l stocked twice day, at
II i'll the morning and about 8 in the
afternoon. Thus fortified, got through
the miserable hours as best could.
l look back on that period as one of I'M
mitigated misery and despair. | was
daily growing more bloated, fatter, and
fabbier in the cheeks. Ny hands trem.
bled in the morning. seemed losing the
power OF connected thought My very
lips were thickening.
L hope am making it clear what was
the effect of the bargain on mvself-I
10 Be COntfEuSdl